drug addiction

National

A man accused of dealing drugs that led to Michael K. Williams' death pleads guilty

10:13am April 06, 2023

by Ayana Archie

Irvin Cartagena, 39, allegedly sold fentanyl-laced drugs to an undercover NYPD officer on several occasions. Narcotics found in Williams' apartment were linked back to Cartagena, police say.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra said the overdose epidemic has grown so severe that new measures are needed to keep people with addiction alive. He is seen here on Capitol Hill in September.

National

Overdose deaths are so high that the Biden team is embracing ideas once seen as taboo

3:31pm October 27, 2021

by Brian Mann

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra told NPR the U.S. has to do more to help people using illegal drugs survive. "If we want to keep people alive we've got to try everything the evidence says might work."

Bags of heroin, some laced with fentanyl, are displayed before a press conference regarding a major drug bust, at the office of the New York attorney general in New York City on Sept. 23, 2016.

Opinion: 2020's Other Medical Crisis

8:33am July 17, 2021

by Scott Simon

Scott Simon notes the 30 percent increase of drug overdose deaths in the U.S. during the first year of the pandemic.

Huntington was once ground-zero for this opioid epidemic. Several years ago, they formed a team that within days visits everyone who overdoses to try to pull them back from the brink. The county's overdose rate plummeted. They wrestled down an HIV cluster

National

Overdose Deaths Rose During The War On Drugs, But Efforts To Reduce Them Face Backlash

7:00am June 19, 2021

by Brian Mann

Researchers know how to curb the risks of overdose and disease among drug users, but policymakers are reluctant to allow public health measures that include needle exchanges and access to safer drugs.

President Biden speaks about the coronavirus pandemic in the State Dining Room of the White House on Tuesday.

National

With Biden Team Focused On Other Crises, Experts Say Drug Epidemic Is Exploding

2:40pm January 29, 2021

by Brian Mann

The Biden administration had Day One plans for the pandemic, economy and climate change. Experts say they haven't yet seen that same focus on the addiction crisis, which is killing 220 people a day.

Queue Listen Now

Critics say the president and his allies are using a disease experienced by more than 20 million Americans as a political weapon.

Experts Say Attack On Hunter Biden's Addiction Deepens Stigma For Millions

11:47am October 16, 2020

by Brian Mann

President Trump's son Donald Trump Jr. called Biden "a crackhead." Researchers say that kind of humiliation puts many Americans with addiction at risk. Most people never get help because of shame.

Queue Listen Now

Emily Ligawiec (right) and Officer Jon Cacela take weekly pottery classes together in Ware, Mass. Rather than arrest Ligawiec last winter when she took heroin and stole her mom's car, he offered her help.

National

Police Offering Drug Recovery Help: 'We Can't Arrest Our Way Out Of This Problem'

8:03am February 08, 2020

by Karen Brown

Police departments are toning down the law enforcement, and offering drug users recovery help instead. But convincing drug users to accept the help is not easy.

Queue Listen Now

Two women sit, with their faces covered, at a drug treatment center in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Health & Safety

Women And Children Are The Emerging Face Of Drug Addiction In Afghanistan

7:02pm October 29, 2019

A growing number of women and children are becoming entangled in drugs as the country's number of addicts aggressively grows.

Keri Blakinger spent nearly two years incarcerated on narcotics charges before becoming a criminal justice reporter for the Houston Chronicle.

Health & Safety

From Convict To Criminal Justice Reporter: 'I Was So Lucky To Come Out Of This'

3:56pm December 12, 2018

by Terry Gross

Keri Blakinger spent nearly two years locked up on narcotics charges before becoming a journalist. "I've been so privileged in so many ways to end up with hope and second chances," she says.

Queue Listen Now

Ed Rendell, former governor of Pennsylvania, has taken a strong stand on supervised injection sites.

Health & Safety

'Come And Arrest Me': Former Pa. Governor Defies Justice Department On Safe Injection

4:57pm October 10, 2018

by Bobby Allyn

A nonprofit in Philadelphia is making plans to open a supervised drug injection site — which is against the law. Their response to justice department threats of a crackdown? "Bring it on."

Queue Listen Now